Master slave wireless fire alarm and mass notification system

ABSTRACT

A wireless fire alarm notification system uses wireless repeater devices to annunciate an alarm to slave devices from the control panel. A notification device provides a local synchronization signal via wire to a secondary notification device. A method enables the activation or deactivation of child device without the child device having to query their parent repeater. A circuit to test the integrity of an active battery charger, a battery, and an isolation circuit is also shown. A method for qualifying that an RF signal meets a specified minimum acceptable level is described. A method for wirelessly sending events to avoid RF link overload is provided. A programming checksum method confirms that an annunciator has latest programming information. A method to automatically process messages from new devices without having to hardcode repeaters to support these new devices is also described.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/846,377 filed Sep. 4, 2015, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.§ 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/047,982, filed onSep. 9, 2014, and U.S. provisional Application Ser. No. 62/060,845,filed on Oct. 7, 2014, which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

This application is related to application Ser. No. 14/846,368, filed onSep. 4, 2015, by the same inventors, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,728,074, andentitled MODULAR WIRELESS MASS EVACUATION NOTIFICATION SYSTEM, whichapplication is incorporated herein by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fire alarm systems comprise a set of devices that function to detect andnotify people when smoke and/or fire is present. Such systems typicallyinclude a control panel, initiating devices, and notification devices.The control panel functions as the hub of the system by monitoringinputs, monitoring system integrity, controlling outputs, and relayinginformation. Examples of initiating devices include manually actuateddevices (e.g., fire alarm boxes/pull stations) as well as automaticallyactuated devices capable of responding to any number of physical changesassociated with a fire such as smoke and heat. Notification devicesprimarily rely on audible alerts and visible alerts to notify occupantsof the need to evacuate or take action. Recent updates to fire alarmcodes and standards have led fire alarm system manufacturers to expandtheir systems with voice evacuation capabilities to provide massnotification capabilities including support for multiple types ofmessaging and prioritized messaging according to local facilities'emergency response plans.

Various types of fire alarm systems are known in the art. Traditionally,the various hardware components for such systems have been coupled tothe control panel by hardwire connection (e.g., electrically conductingwires and cables). Such systems, however, are burdened by highinstallation, operation, and maintenance costs. As a result,advancements in the art have led to the development of wireless radiofrequency (RF) fire alarm systems. In such wireless systems, eachinitiating device, such as a smoke and heat detector, is capable oftransmitting wireless signals to the control panel, which in turn iscapable of wirelessly initiating the appropriate notification appliancesby transmission of an alarm signal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to monitoring and massnotification systems, such as fire alarm systems, for use in occupiedstructures, and more particularly to a wireless monitoring and massnotification system.

In general, the present invention concerns wireless monitoring and/ormass notification systems incorporating numerous advances in the art ofwireless fire alarm technology. Interconnected devices can communicatevia wireless Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) bi-directionalRadio Frequency (RF) signals using a messaging protocol. The wirelessmonitoring and/or mass notification systems are comprised of maincontrol panels and enrolled devices that communicate to each other viaRF signals. In general, enrolled devices are remotely located RF-enableddevices, including repeaters, notification devices, annunciators, andslave devices. Examples of slave devices can include detection devices,tandem detection devices, relay units, and notification devices. The RFlinks are bi-directional allowing signals to be sent either inbound oroutbound between devices.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a wirelessnotification device, e.g., mini-horn/strobe, annunciates an alarm via anintegrated horn/strobe when activated via a wireless RF signal from thesystem control panel. The wireless notification device configured as amaster provides a local synchronization signal that can be connected viasynchronization wire to secondary self-powered notification devicesconfigured as slaves. Each notification device connects via its own RFlink to the system panel regardless of whether it is a slave or master.The synchronization (sync) signal is also used as a heartbeat to verifythat the wire between master and slave devices is not broken(continuity) and to verify that there are not multiple masters on thesame sync wires.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided to turn “on” or “off” notification device sounders, strobes,etc. without the notification device having to query its parentrepeater.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, a circuit isprovided to implement an innovative method to test and verify theintegrity of an active battery charger, the battery integrity, and thebattery charger isolation circuitry, even when the battery chargercircuit is operational and charging a battery. Using a combination ofcontrol signals from a microprocessor and analog/digital monitoringpoints the integrity of the above circuitry can be verified whileoperating.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided to qualify that an RF signal meets a specified minimumacceptable level before a wireless enabled device responds, whereby ifthe specified minimum acceptable level is not achieved, no response istransmitted.

In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method foravoiding RF link overload is provided in an RF network wherein up to2048 possible devices are enrolled, broadcasting 2048 alarm events to 8annunciators at the same time. It is further contemplated that thepresent invention may be expanded to handle even a greater number ofalarm events (e.g. in excess of 2048). In accordance with this aspect,events are broadcast in blocks of 16 thereby allowing the annunciatorsto acknowledge each block, and additional events are transmitted inblocks of 16 as needed.

In accordance with a sixth aspect of the present invention, whenever anew device is added to the system the programming checksum is changed.The new checksum and system time is broadcast to the systemannunciators. The broadcast checksum is compared in each annunciator,and if it does not match an error message is sent to the main panel toindicate that the annunciator has not been programmed with the newdevices. The broadcasted system time is used to synchronize theannunciator clocks to the main panel.

In accordance with a seventh aspect of the present invention, a methodis provided which adds protocol to automatically process messages fromnewly designed devices to existing network without having to hardcoderepeaters to support these newly designed devices. Newly designeddevices need only be added to the main panel software as the repeaternetwork will automatically handle the different types of messages fromdevices based on the serial number prefix which groups types of devicesand their corresponding message formats automatically.

In general, according to one aspect, the invention features a wirelessfire alarm notification system having a control panel for broadcastingalarm messages via wireless links. The wireless fire alarm notificationsystem includes a wireless repeater device having a slave transceiverthat receives the alarm messages from the control panel via the wirelesslinks. The wireless repeater device has a master transceiver forwirelessly broadcasting the alarm messages to slave devices.

Typically, the control panel includes a master transceiver forbroadcasting the alarm messages. In an embodiment, the slave transceiverof the wireless repeater device receives the alarm messages from thecontrol panel via another wireless repeater device. The slave devicescan be selected from the group consisting of additional repeaterdevices, annunciators, detection devices, tandem detection devices,utility transmitters, relay units, pull stations, and/or notificationdevices. The notification devices are typically strobe devices, horndevices, or horn/strobe combo devices.

In embodiments, the wireless links are bi-directional wireless links forenabling alarm messages to be sent or received between devices on thesame wireless link. The wireless links are preferably slots of afrequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS). The wireless repeater devicecan listen for beacons and transmit beacons using an unused hoppingpattern. The slave devices can attempt to enroll or register, and switchto a new frequency upon failing to enroll or register. The slave devicescan seek to join a new master device after failing to receive anacknowledgement from a previous master device. The wireless repeaterdevice can broadcast alarm signals to its slave devices upon receivingan alarm signal from one of its slave devices.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features anotification system having a control panel that generates wireless radiofrequency alarm signals. The notification system includes a masternotification device for generating an alarm notification in response tothe alarm signals from the control panel and generating synchronizationsignals. The notification system has a slave notification device forreceiving the synchronization signal via a wire and generating an alarmnotification in response to the alarm signals from the control panel andthe synchronization signals.

The notification devices can validate the wired connection between thedevices using the synchronization signal. Preferably, the masternotification device generates the synchronization signal based on asynchronization signal received via a wired connection or a wirelesslink. The synchronization signal can be used as a drive signal to analarm notification component.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features a methodfor controlling activation and deactivation of a child device. The childdevice sends a registration request to a parent repeater. The parentrepeater sends an assignment message to the child device in response tothe registration request. The assignment message includes anidentification address associated with the child device fordistinguishing the child device from other child devices within a subnetof the parent repeater. The parent repeater transmits a notificationactivation message to the subnet of child devices. The notificationactivation message includes a notification state for each child deviceof the subnet. The child device activates or deactivates an alarm basedon the notification activation message.

The notification activation message preferably includes a bitmasklisting the notification state for each child device of the subnet. Inone example, the child device is a tandem detector device. In anotherexample, the child device is a strobe device, horn device, orhorn/strobe combo device. The identification address can be an 8-bitlocal identification number. In a preferred embodiment, the parentrepeater transmits a beacon message signaling the child device towake-up from a sleep mode and listen for the notification activationmessage prior to the parent repeater transmitting the notificationactivation message.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features a methodfor testing integrity of a battery charger. A processor sends anisolation control signal to an isolation circuit thereby deactivatingthe isolation circuit to isolate the battery charger from a battery. Theprocessor sends a charger load control signal to a charger load controlthereby activating the charger load control to apply a charger loadresistance on the battery charger. The processor measures the chargingvoltage of the battery charger and compares the measured chargingvoltage to a required charging voltage. If the charging voltage isgreater than the required charging voltage, the processor determinesthat the battery charger is acceptable. If the charging voltage is lessthan the required charging voltage, the processor determines that thebattery charger is unacceptable.

Preferably, the processor measures the charging voltage at ananalog/digital monitoring test node. In a preferred embodiment, thecharger load control is a MOSFET.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features a methodfor testing integrity of a battery. A processor sends an isolationcontrol signal to an isolation circuit thereby deactivating theisolation circuit to isolate a battery charger from the battery. Theprocessor sends a battery load control signal to a battery load controlthereby activating the battery load control to apply a battery loadresistance on the battery. The processor measures a battery voltage ofthe battery and compares the measured battery voltage to a requiredbattery voltage. If the battery voltage is greater than the requiredbattery voltage, the processor determines the battery as acceptable. Ifthe battery voltage is less than the required battery voltage, theprocessor determines the battery as unacceptable.

Preferably, the processor measures the battery voltage at ananalog/digital monitoring test node. In a preferred embodiment, thebattery load control is a MOSFET.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features a methodfor testing integrity of an isolation circuit between a battery and abattery charger. A processor sends an isolation control signal to theisolation circuit thereby deactivating the isolation circuit to isolatethe battery charger from the battery. The processor measures a chargingvoltage of the battery charger prior to activation of the isolationcircuit. The processor sends another isolation control signal to theisolation circuit thereby activating the isolation circuit causingapplication of a charger load resistance and a battery load resistanceto the battery charger. The processor measures a charging voltage afteractivation of the isolation circuit and compares the measured chargingvoltage after activation to the measured charging voltage prior toactivation. If the charging voltage after activation is less than thecharging voltage prior to activation, the processor determines that theisolation circuit is acceptable. If the charging voltage afteractivation is greater than the charging voltage prior to activation, theprocessor determines that the isolation circuit is unacceptable.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features acircuit for testing integrity of a battery charger, a battery, and anisolation circuit. The circuit includes a processor for generating anisolation control signal, a charger load control signal, and a batteryload control signal. The circuit further includes an isolation circuitfor isolating the battery charger from the battery. The isolationcircuit is configured to receive the isolation control signal from theprocessor. The circuit has a charger load control for applying a chargerload resistance on the battery charger. The charger load control isconfigured to receive the charger load control signal from theprocessor. The circuit further includes a battery load control forapplying a battery load resistance on the battery. The battery loadcontrol is configured to receive the battery load control signal fromthe processor.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features a methodfor wirelessly sending events. A control panel wirelessly broadcastsevents in a message block that stores a range of different events. Anannunciator receives the message block and the annunciator sends anacknowledgement to the control panel based on receipt of the messageblock.

The acknowledgement can be a layer 3 event notify acknowledgement. Themessage block can be received by system devices enrolled in the system.The control panel can wirelessly broadcast additional events inadditional message blocks. Each additional message block preferablystores the range of one to sixteen events. In an example embodiment, thecontrol panel wirelessly broadcasts alarm events in the additionalmessage blocks to system annunciators simultaneously. The message blockcan be broadcasted when a system alarm or a trouble condition changes tokeep the annunciator or annunciators in sync with the control panel.

In a preferred embodiment, the message block is broadcast in an eventstatus notify message. The event status notify message can include anAlarm LED status, a Trouble LED status, a Supervisory LED status, aSignal Silence LED status, and/or a number of devices listed in an alarmstate. The event status notify message can include a device table indexlisting any device that is in an alarm state.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features aprogramming checksum method for determining that an annunciator has thesame programming information as a control panel. The control panelbroadcasts a programming checksum notify message, including a systemprogramming checksum, to the annunciator. The annunciator compares thesystem programming checksum to a local programming checksum of theannunciator. If the system programming checksum is different from thelocal programming checksum, the annunciator sends an error message tothe control panel. If the system programming checksum matches the localprogramming checksum, the annunciator sends an acknowledgment message tothe control panel.

Typically, the control panel broadcasts the programming checksum whendevice programming information changes. The error message typicallyincludes information on the programming mismatch. The programmingchecksum notify is preferably broadcasted to multiple annunciators inthe form of one message. The acknowledgment message is preferably aLayer 3 programming event notify acknowledgement message. Theprogramming checksum notify message can include a checksum of thechanged programming information. In an example embodiment, theannunciator updates the local programming checksum to match the systemprogramming checksum such that the annunciator is in sync with thecontrol panel. The annunciator can update local programming checksum byupdating local time with system time in order to synchronize anannunciator clock with a control panel clock. The annunciator candisplay device information and location information matching the systemprogramming checksum of the control panel.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features a methodfor processing messages from a new device of a fire alarm system. Aprocessor encodes the new device with device ID data. The device ID datais a serial number including a prefix byte that correlates with a devicetype decoding rule for messaging. The processor determines the devicetype decoding rule for the new device based on the prefix byte of thedevice ID data. The processor decodes messages for the new device basedon the determined device type decoding rule.

The device type decoding rule can be a legacy rule if the prefix byte iswithin a value range of 1 to 11, an 8 bit status rule if the prefix byteis within a value range of 12 to 95, a 16 bit status rule if the prefixbyte is within a value range of 96 to 175, or a 32 bit status rule ifthe prefix byte is within a value range of 176 to 254. In an exampleembodiment, the method includes adding the new device to software of acontrol panel. The processor can enable a repeater network toautomatically handle different types of messages from different devicesbased on the determination of the device type decoding rule for eachdevice. The device ID data can be encoded with information on whetherthe new device is a notification device.

In general, according to another aspect, the invention features a methodfor qualifying that a wireless signal for a new device meets a specifiedminimum acceptable level. A minimum received signal strength indicator(RSSI) level is determined based on testing for a reliable wirelesslink. An RSSI for a new device is measured. The measured RSSI of the newdevice is compared against the minimum RSSI level. If the measured RSSIis greater than the minimum RSSI, the measured RSSI is qualified asacceptable. If the measured RSSI is less than the minimum RSSI, themeasured RSSI is qualified as unacceptable.

The method can further include a master device acknowledging the newdevice by transmitting an acknowledgment response after qualifying themeasured RSSI as acceptable. Preferably, measuring the RSSI for the newdevice includes executing a survey process. The new device can be amaster device or a slave device.

In an example embodiment, qualifying the measured RSSI as acceptable orunacceptable is performed by a processor within a master device. The newdevice can discover the master device by listening for master beacons ofthe master device. The new device can join the master beacon of themaster device if the processor of the master device qualifies themeasured RSSI of the new device as acceptable.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provideadvancements in the field of wireless fire alarm and mass notificationsystems as set forth above.

In accordance with these and other objects, which will become apparenthereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particularreference to the accompanying drawings.

The above and other features of the invention including various noveldetails of construction and combinations of parts, and other advantages,will now be more particularly described with reference to theaccompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will beunderstood that the particular method and device embodying the inventionare shown by way of illustration and not as a limitation of theinvention. The principles and features of this invention may be employedin various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, reference characters refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarilyto scale; emphasis has instead been placed upon illustrating theprinciples of the invention. Of the drawings:

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a wireless fire alarm notificationsystem according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a repeater device and a slave deviceutilizing frequency hopping patterns to pass messages;

FIG. 1C is a flow chart of a self-configuration process for a masterdevice;

FIG. 1D is a flow chart of a self-configuration process for a slavedevice;

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a master notification device using async pulse to synchronize a slave notification device;

FIG. 2B is a schematic hardware block diagram of the master/slavenotification device of FIG. 2A;

FIGS. 3A-3B are flow charts illustrating a tandem activation processbetween a parent repeater and a child device;

FIG. 4A is a block diagram of a circuit for testing the integrity of abattery charger, a battery, and an isolation circuit;

FIG. 4B is a flow chart illustrating the process of testing theintegrity of the battery charger, the battery, and/or the isolationcircuit of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method for sending alarm events according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 are flow charts of a programming checksum method for confirmingthat the annunciator has the same programming information as the controlpanel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is a flow chart of a method for processing messages for a newdevice of a fire alarm system according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of a structure for device identificationdata used in processing messages according to the method of FIG. 7A; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method for qualifying wireless linksaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrativeembodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. Further, the singular formsand the articles “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms: includes, comprises, including, and/orcomprising, when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof. Further, it will be understood that when anelement, including component or subsystem, is referred to and/or shownas being connected or coupled to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent.

Furthermore, while the present invention is disclosed in reference to anembodiment capable of sending up to 2,048 alarm events, the variousadvancements disclosed herein are suitable for use in largerapplications.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1A is a schematic representation of awireless monitoring and/or mass notification (e.g., wireless fire alarmnotification) system, generally referenced as 10, in accordance with thepresent invention.

The wireless fire alarm notification system 10 includes a wirelessenabled control panel 12 containing at least one microprocessor whichfunctions as a master control center for the system 10. The controlpanel 12 includes a master interface 11 having an antenna 114 and amaster transceiver 116. The master transceiver 116 enables RF datatransmission via wireless links (represented as dashed lines) to anintegrated repeater board of a wireless repeater device 16. The controlpanel uses the master transceiver 116 to broadcast alarm messages to andreceive data from its slaves via its antenna 114 and the wireless links.

The system 10 further includes a plurality of annunciators 14 (e.g.,WRA-3 wireless remote annunciators). The annunciators 14 are wirelessslave devices that can function as limited control panels. Theannunciators 14 include integrated display and user interfaces 120 todisplay alarm information and trouble status, and to performacknowledgements, signal silence, and system reset anywhere withinnetwork communications.

The system 10 further includes a plurality of wireless repeater devices16 (also referred to herein as parent repeaters, master repeaters, orrepeaters). Each repeater 16 includes both a master interface 11(antenna 114 and master transceiver 116) and a slave interface 13(antenna 114 and slave transceiver 115). The slave interface 13(particularly the slave transceiver 115 via the antenna 114) enables therepeater 16 to send and receive alarm messages via their inbound link toand from the control panel 12. Further, using its master interface 11(particularly the master transceiver 116 via the antenna 114), eachrepeater 16 is capable of sending and receiving alarm messages on itslink to and from devices that are enrolled as slaves to that repeater16. Repeaters 16 also monitor and supervise enrolled slave devices whichcan be other repeater devices 16, annunciators 14, or any other slavedevice, such that the repeater 16 can send and/or receive wireless alarmmessages to/from these slave devices as required based on theirfunctionality. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, the repeater 16uses its slave transceiver 115 to receive alarm messages from thecontrol panel 12 via another repeater 16.

In general, examples of slave devices include, without limitation, anyof the following devices: detectors 72 (all types such as smokedetectors, heat detectors, or multimodality smoke/heat/CO/etc.detectors, carbon monoxide (CO) detectors), tandem detectors 74 (alltypes such as tandem smoke detectors, tandem heat detectors, tandemsmoke/heat detectors, or tandem CO detectors), utility transmitters 78(function as input contacts for event trigger), manual pull stations 76,wireless relay units 19 (e.g., SR-5 wireless relay units), notificationdevices (e.g., mini-horns 82, strobes 18, and horn/strobe combinationunits), annunciators 14, additional repeaters 16, or any other suitablenotification device or initiating device which may be required forspecific applications and/or to support product and industry growth inaddition to changes in regulations and standards.

The slave devices have various functions within the system 10. Thetandem detectors 74 are able to remotely activate a notification signal.Additional repeater devices 16 may be incorporated to extend effectivesignal range. Wireless relay units 19 may be incorporated to controlmiscellaneous attached devices. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the repeaterdevice 16 can be hardwired to a relay box 80 and the repeater device 16can be hardwired to the strobe 18 and mini horn 82.

Messaging

As shown in FIG. 1B, embodiments of the fire alarm system 10 employmultiple frequency hopping patterns to pass messages back and forthbetween master device (e.g., repeater 16) and slave devices 14, 18, 19,72, 74, 76, 78, 80, and 82 via wireless links. In this example, thewireless links are bi-directional wireless links enabling alarm messagesto be sent or received between devices on the same wireless link. Inparticular, the wireless links are slots 130 of a frequency hoppingspread spectrum (FHSS) links. The hopping pattern is structured in slots130 to alternate between transmitting and receiving messages on eachslot 130 such that balanced bi-directional communications are achieved.The effective data rate transmission speed is based on a BAUD rate thatallows a fixed number of characters to be transmitted in each slot 130.A change in the BAUD rate could allow more or less characters to betransmitted/received in each slot 130. Message sizing is selected foroptimal speed to meet UL notification time requirements which is 10seconds or less from the initiating event while allowing a deep networkdepth of nested repeaters.

Communication through the system 10 is achieved using Layer 2 messages126 and Layer 3 messages 128. All messages contain a Layer 2 message 126and may contain one or more Layer 3 messages 128. Layer 3 messages 128allow more detail to be transmitted. Outbound messages 132 are thosemessages sent by a master repeater 16, for example to its sub-network ofslave devices 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, and 82. Inbound messages122 are those messages received by a repeater 16 from its sub-network.Either repeater 16 or slave devices 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, and82 listen to any message that contains its own device ID 134 in theLayer 2 Message or a broadcast message (e.g., beacon) which has a globalID (i.e. FF:FF:FF:FF:FF) as the destination device ID.

Message Structure

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, all messages contain asequence number 136 matching their layer to prevent message duplicationin the case where a required acknowledgement 138 is not returned with amatching sequence number 136. In this case, a retry procedure isinitiated by the sending device that was expecting the acknowledgement138. Global broadcast messages may or may not be acknowledged.

Messages further include a formatted structure that allows the system 10to seamlessly pass messages on without having to decode each messageunless its destination address matches. The structure of the messagesand the device ID structure is configured to automatically handle theassorted device types and associated status information seamlessly, evenallowing a new device type to be added into the different categories ofdevices. Typically, the device categories are 8, 16, and 32 bit devices,but the present invention is not limited to these three bits asadditional bits could be added, e.g. 48 bits, 64 bits, etc. Typically,there is a status or action associated with the 8, 16, or 32 bit statusbyte(s).

There are different types of messages and structures for each messagetype with common header information to detail the source of the message,the destination of the message, the type of message, the layer andsequence number of the message, and size of the message. Multiplemessages can be bundled in the same transmission. There arecorresponding acknowledgement response types for these different typesof messages as well and messages can be both inbound and outbound.

Message Hopping Control

FIG. 1C shows the self-configuration process performed by a masterdevice as part of its initialization.

When a master device (e.g., repeater 16) is powered up, the repeater 16uses its slave transceiver 115 to acquire the network code from itsmaster (e.g., control panel 12) in step 510 and then passes the networkcode to the master transceiver 116 of repeater 16 via the mainprocessor. The repeater 16 listens to the RF network for a specifiedmaximum period of time and decodes any beacons it receives from, forexample, the control panel 12 or other repeaters 16. In particular, therepeater 16 listens for beacons and determines the hopping patterns ofthose beacons in step 512. The master transceiver 116 of repeater 16randomly selects an unused hopping pattern in step 514, and transmitsits beacon in step 518.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1D, when a slave device 14, 18, 19,72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 powers up or fails all of its retryopportunities, the slave device 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82listens to the RF network on a specific initial frequency for aspecified maximum period of time and decodes any beacons it receives instep 520. Depending upon the state of the slave device 14, 18, 19, 72,74, 76, 78, 80, 82 (whether it has a network code or not) and the stateof the sub-network (whether it is in enrollment or not), the slavedevice 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 begins either an enrollmentprocedure, a registration procedure, or continues with a systemregistration procedure in step 522. If the slave device 14, 18, 19, 72,74, 76, 78, 80, 82 fails to find a suitable system, it selects a newfrequency and repeats the system selection procedure in step 524. Theslave device 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 ignores masters (e.g.,master repeaters 16) that match its own device ID so that the slavedevice 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 does not join its own masterrepeater 16.

Enrollment

In an enrollment mode, new devices are powered up by the system 10 sothat the new devices can be assigned a network code by the system 10.Each new device is added to a list of devices that its master (e.g.,control panel 12 or master repeater 16) monitors and controls. The useof a unique network code allows multiple networks to be in RF range ofeach other without talking to each other and without messages from afirst system being processed by a second system. Newly added device IDsfor new devices are sent to the control panel 12 so that the controlpanel 12 knows which subnet the new device is currently assigned to.

Network Monitoring and Self-Healing

All devices check in on a periodic interval based on their device type,device status, and their last check-in time. All timings are based onmaximizing power savings and meeting operational and standardsrequirements. When an event such as tamper, alarm, or other monitoredcondition/event occurs, the event is transmitted immediately and thecheck in period clock is reset as per the status of the device and thedevice type, in order to save power. Whenever a slave device fails toget an acknowledgement from its master (e.g., control panel 12 or masterrepeater 16) despite retries, the device begins the process of listeningfor a new master that it can join. If the device fails to either re-joinits original master or a new master within 200 seconds, the controlpanel 12 reports a test fail for that failed device, for all the devicesjoined to the failed device on its subnet, and for all the devices thatare associated on any subnets attached to the subnet of the faileddevice.

Programming

Devices that have a programmable output(s) are programmed on the controlpanel 12 to perform certain types of functions when specific eventsoccur and these event notifications are received at either the repeater16 or the control panel 12. Using either buttons on the control panel 12or a software program/app on a personal computer/tablet/smart phone,etc., the end user can program system responses to certain events. Forexample, the end user can program the activation of horns 82 and strobes18 in the case of a fire in a specified zone, zones, or the entirefacility. In particular, the end user can program this activation tooccur in response to, for example, a tripped heat detector 72, 74 or anoccupant tripping a manual pull station 76. The foregoing is merely anexample and not a limitation of the type of events that can beautomatically detected, automatically triggered, or manually triggeredby external events of the system 10 and the types of responses that canbe activated through the assorted interfaces such as relays,notification activation circuits, software messages sent through theInternet, telephone lines, RF, etc.

User input program configurations are sent via RF messaging through theRF network to the master devices that either have the interfacesintegrated into them, are attached to the RF network via control lines,or are slave devices that are part of the RF network subnet. Once theprogramming information is received by the master responsible for thedestination device, the master processes the messages and acknowledgesto the control panel 12 that the programming information has beenreceived and properly processed.

Notifications and System Responses

When an external event that the system 10 is programmed to respond tooccurs, it is not always necessary to send the event message data to themain control panel 12 before the system 10 starts responding. Forexample, if a tandem smoke detector 74 is tripped in a particulararea/zone, the tripped tandem smoke detector 74 reports an alarm eventmessage to the master repeater 16 of the tripped tandem smoke detector74. The master repeater 16 passes the alarm event message to the controlpanel 12 through the parent subnets of the master repeater 16 for systemlevel processing. Meanwhile, the master repeater 16 starts broadcastingan alarm event beacon containing the alarm status of that trippedprogrammed zone on its subnet. Any tandem detectors 74 in the subnetthat are programmed on that tripped zone start annunciating an alarmwhen these tandem detectors 74 decode the alarm status without having towait for a message to be broadcast from the control panel 12. This isone of many examples as each master repeater 16 is responsible for theevent response in its subnet. Correspondingly, the same alarm eventmessage can be broadcast down through the subnets of the masterrepeater. The additional master repeaters 16 in the subnets canbroadcast the alarm beacon so additional tandem detectors 74 can startannunciating an alarm without having to wait for a response from thecontrol panel 12. The types of responses can come from a varietynotification devices including: sounders, strobes, relays, digital ASCIIdisplays, etc., and any other possible alarm output device/mechanism.

System Beacon

A system beacon is broadcast through the entire RF network of the system10. The beacon contains system status information that is/can be used byall devices. The beacon contains the current system-wide state of thesystem 10, current date and time, zone status, tandem status, systemtest mode status, initialization mode status, enrollment mode, networkcodes, etc. The beacon is not acknowledged but passed on down througheach subnet to all devices in the system 10.

Wireless Notification Device Sync

In hardwired (i.e., non-wireless) fire alarm systems, alarm notificationdevices are hard wired in a signaling line circuit (SLC) loop and all ofthe devices on the loop are activated (i.e., turned on) when power isapplied to the loop. A sync pulse is sent along the wire to synchronizethe notification devices so that in the case of mini-horns, they beep inunison and in the case of strobes, they flash within 10 milli-seconds(ms) of each other. For wireless systems, however, a wireless mini-horn,for example, annunciates an alarm via an integrated horn when activatedvia a wireless RF signal from the control panel 12.

FIG. 2A illustrates a configuration of a first/master wirelessnotification device 20 (e.g., mini-horn or strobe) that provides a localsynchronization signal transmitted via a wire 21 to one or moresecondary slave wireless notification devices 22 (e.g., mini-horns orstrobes). Accordingly, the master notification device 20 can coordinateand form a local synchronized loop with multiple synchronized slavenotification devices 22 comprised of self-powered horns or strobes. Thisadvancement further allows for an expansion of the number ofannunciating devices past the limit of 2,048 RF devices on the controlpanel 12 as the additional slave devices do not necessarily require RFmodules. The master notification device 20 annunciates an alarm signal112 via an integrated horn/strobe when activated via a wireless RFsignal from the control panel 12. The master notification device 20 andthe slave notification device 22 are self-powered. Each notificationdevice 20, 22 can connect via its own RF link to the control panel 12.In particular, each notification device 20, 22 includes a slaveinterface 13 (antenna 14 and slave transceiver 115) that allows forcommunication of alarm signals 112 or other system information to orfrom the master transceiver 116 of the control panel 12.

In more detail, each notification device 20, 22 has a sync-input pin 35and a one or more sync-output pins 24. The master notification device 20has its sync-output pin 24 connected to the sync-input pin 35 of thenotification device 22, chosen to be a slave notification device. Thewire 21 is connected to the sync output pin 24 on the masternotification device 20 and to the sync input pin 35 on the slavenotification device 22. The output sync pulse is sent from the masternotification device 20 to the slave notification device 22.

FIG. 2B illustrates the main components of the notification device 20,22 with respect to the synchronization feature.

The notification device 20, 22 includes an RF module 30 for receivingthe alarm signal 112 from the control panel 12 via the slave transceiver115. The RF module 30 feeds the alarm signal 112 to a microprocessor orprocessor 32. A sync signal, received at the sync input pin 35, isdirected to the processor 32 and is fed to a first pin of a two input ORgate 34. The second pin on the OR gate 34 is fed from the processor 32so that the processor 32 can initiate a sync pulse upon the receivedalarm signal 112 from the RF module 30. As a result, the masternotification device 20 can generate the synchronization signal based ona synchronization signal received via a wired connection at the syncinput pin 35 or a wireless link via the RF module 30, respectively.

Preferably, each notification device 20, 22 is identical and canfunction as either a master or a slave depending upon how thenotification device 20, 22 is wired. However, in other examples, thenotification devices can be dedicated master devices and/or dedicatedslave devices.

The processor 32 enables (using an enable signal) the notification powersupply 36 as needed based on either detection of the sync signal fromthe master notification device 20 via sync input 35, or detection of thealarm signal 112 (including a synchronization command) from the RFmodule 30. The output of the OR gate 34 feeds into the sync controlmodule 37. The sync control module 37 controls distribution of powerfrom the notification power supply 36 to an alarm notification component38 (e.g., sounder and/or strobe). For example, when the alarm signal 112is received via the RF module 30, the processor 32 enables (i.e., turnson) the notification power supply 36 and the sync signal sent from theOR gate 34 via the sync input 35 (detected sync signal) or the processor32 (alarm signal 112 includes synchronization command) causes the synccontrol module 37 to provide temporal sync timing to the alarmnotification component 38. The sync control module 37 drives the alarmnotification component 38 based on receiving the sync signal from the ORgate. The sync control module 27 maintains synchronization between thesounding and/or flashing of the alarm notification component 38 and thereceiving of the synchronization signal. The output of the OR gate 34also feeds into the sync output pin 24 to pass the synchronizationsignal directly onto another slaved notification device 22. The numberof slaved notification devices 22 that can be daisy-chained is onlylimited by the cumulative propagation delay of the OR gates which istypically 1 to 2 nano-seconds.

When present, the sync signal feeds into the processor 32 so that theprocessor 32 knows a master sync pulse is providing the synchronization.This also eliminates any time delays since processing time is notrequired by the processor 32 except for activating (i.e., turning on)the notification power supply 36. When the master sync pulse is present,the processor 32 of the slave notification device 22 does not generate async pulse of its own. If the master notification device 20 falls offthe RF network or has some other failure, the slave notification device22 can still activate (i.e., turn on) its own attached alarmnotification component 38 as the master sync pulse is not present andnetwork redundancy is maintained as illustrated in FIG. 2B.

The sync signal can be used as a heartbeat to verify that the wirebetween master notification device 20 and slave notification device 22is not broken (i.e., validate wired connection) and to verify that thereare not multiple master notification devices 20 on the same sync wire.Each notification device 20, 22 has a selection jumper that is read onpower-up that commands the notification device 20, 22 to operate as amaster notification device 20 or as a slave notification device 22. Thesync signal from the master notification device 20 is fed into theprocessors 32 of all attached slave notification devices 22, and whennot in alarm this sync signal is sent out as a status heartbeat. If aslave notification device 22 does not receive a status heartbeat every90 seconds, the slave notification device 22 reports a trouble to thecontrol panel 12. If a master notification device 20 receives aheartbeat from another notification device, the master notificationdevice 20 sends a fault to the control panel 12 reporting that twodevices or more have been configured as master notification devices.

Tandem Activation

Tandem devices such as tandem detectors 74 and notification devices(e.g., audio/visual devices such as mini-horns 82, strobes 18, orhorn/strobe combo devices) are typically notified that they need toactivate their sounders or flash lights when one of their zones isactivated. For example, currently tandem smoke detectors need to querytheir parent repeater to learn if their sounder should be active (“on”)or inactive (“off”). This should be done in an efficient enough mannerto meet timing and bandwidth limitations of the system 10. This presentsa problem as there is a limited amount of bandwidth available to handlethese queries. At some point, there will be too many tandem devices andthe tandem devices will not all be able query their state causing tandemdevices to randomly sound when the tandem devices should not besounding.

Thus, another significant aspect of the system 10 of the presentinvention involves configuring the parent repeater 16 to broadcast asounder state after a beacon message, rather than having tandem devicesquery their parent repeater 16. In general, the present invention offersa method for activating and deactivating child tandem devices (e.g.,turning “on” or “off” mini-horns 82 or strobes 18) without the childtandem devices having to query their parent repeater.

In accordance with this aspect, when the child tandem device registers(e.g., sends a registration request) to its parent repeater 16, theparent repeater 16 sends a Local ID Assignment message in response. TheLocal ID Assignment message includes an identification addressassociated with the child tandem device for distinguishing the childtandem device from other child devices in a subnet of the parentrepeater 16. In the alternative, a tandem device can also query itsLocal ID Assignment.

FIG. 3A illustrates the operation of the parent repeaters 16 withrespect to activation/deactivation of the child tandem device such as asounder device or mini horn 82. In general, the repeater devices 16 waitin step 140 until they receive a message to generate an alarm or it istime to broadcast their next beacon.

If the timer to broadcast the next beacon expires, as determined in step142, the beacon is transmitted in step 152 and a notification activationmessage such as a sounder activation message (includes a local sounderbitmask) is transmitted in step 154. The local sounder bitmask lists thenotification state for each child sounder device of the subnet for therepeater device 16.

On the other hand, when it is determined that a message has beenreceived in step 144, this received message is processed in step 146. Instep 148, the message is determined to be a sounder message signalingactivation of notification devices (e.g., sounders such as mini horns82). Then, the parent repeater 16 sets the local sounder bitmask in step150. Then, the beacon is transmitted in step 152 and the local sounderbitmask is transmitted in step 154. If the message is determined not tobe the sounder message, then step 150 is skipped and the parent repeater16 transmits the beacon and the local sounder bitmask) in steps 152 and154.

As described above, the local sounder bitmask is sent within the sounderactivation message. The local sounder bitmask tells all sounder devices,such as mini horns 82, their sounder state. As appreciated by one ofskill in the art, other types of bitmasks can be included in theactivation message that tells other types of tandem devices such asstrobes 18 their activation states.

When a tandem device (e.g., A/V device or mini horn 82) joins a repeater16 in the system 10, the tandem device is assigned an 8-bit Local ID(identification address) that is used to uniquely identify that tandemdevice within the subnet of the parent repeater 16. The Local ID is sentto the tandem device using the Local ID Assignment message as describedabove. If the tandem device does not receive the Local ID Assignmentmessage due to transmission errors, the tandem device will periodicallyrequest the assignment message using a Local ID request message. When anew zone is activated, parent repeaters 16 determine which child tandemdevices, if any, need to be activated. Parent repeaters 16 maintain abitmask with enough bits for each child tandem device to have one bit.The index of a child tandem device's bit in the bitmask is the Local ID.

When a tandem device is to be activated, its bit (local ID) in thebitmask is set to one (otherwise the bit is set to zero when the tandemdevice is inactive).

If one or more of its child tandem devices are active, the repeater 16will broadcast a sounder activation message that contains the localsounder bitmask in step 154. This activation message is sent immediatelyfollowing the transmission of the beacon in step 152. This activationmessage type is relevant for the subnet only and is not propagatedthroughout the network of the system 10.

FIG. 3B illustrates the operation of the tandem device (e.g., sounderdevice such as the mini horn 82).

In general, the tandem devices are asleep, until they awake in step 156.Then, the tandem devices check for any new messages from their repeaters16 in step 158. In step 160, the tandem devices activate or deactivatetheir notification component (e.g., turn on/off sounder for mini horns82) based on the notification activation messages received from therepeaters 16. The notification activation messages, received in step 158from the repeaters 16, include instructions on whether to activate ordeactivate the tandem devices.

In order to save power, tandem devices do not normally stay awake toreceive the activation message. Thus, when the contents of theactivation message change, the repeater 16 changes the zone sequencenumber in the beacon. In step 162, the tandem device determines whetheror not the zone sequence number has changed. In step 164, the childtandem devices stay in an awake mode in response to the positivedetermination in step 162 that the zone sequence number has changed.That is, the tandem devices interpret the change in the zone sequencenumber in the beacon as an instruction to stay awake to listen for theactivation message. In step 166, the tandem device schedules a sleeptimer in response to the negative determination in step 162 that thezone sequence number has not changed. In summary, the parent repeater 16can transmit a beacon message that signals the child tandem device towake-up from sleep mode and listen for notification activation messages.

Battery Load Check on Active Circuit

FIGS. 4A and 4B show a circuit and a method for testing and verifyingthe integrity of an active battery charger 58, a battery 56, and abattery charger isolation circuit 53, even when the battery chargercircuit 50 is operational and charging the battery 56. This method andcircuit can be used in devices such as repeaters 16, notificationdevices 18, 82, and initiation devices 72, 74 to maintain their backupbatteries, for example. In the illustrated example of FIG. 4A, thecircuit is used within the notification power supply 36 of themaster/slave notification device 20, 22.

As illustrated, the battery charger circuit 50 of the battery charger 58is electrically connected to a charger load control 52, and furtherconnected to a battery load control 54 and the battery 56 via anisolation circuit 53. Using a combination of control signals from themicroprocessor 32 of the device and analog/digital monitoring test nodes68, 70, the integrity of the above circuitry can be verified whileoperating.

The processor 32 sends an isolation control signal that deactivates(i.e., turns off) a voltage pass-thru isolation circuit 53 to isolatethe charger circuit 50 of the battery charger 58 from the battery 56 instep 200. Next, the processor 32 sends a charger load control signal toactivate (i.e., turn on) a switch such as a MOSFET of the charger loadcontrol 52 causing it to apply a charger load 65 (i.e., charger loadresistance), such as a power resistor, to the charger circuit 50 in step202. In step 204, the output voltage Vcharger of the charger circuit 50is measured at the charger voltage test node 68 using an analog todigital converter. Then, the measured voltage Vcharger at the chargervoltage test node 68 is compared to an acceptable threshold voltageVCthresh (i.e., required charging voltage) for the battery charger 58 instep 206 and the charger is then determined to be acceptable orunacceptable in steps 208 and 210. This confirms that the batterycharger 58 is able to supply the acceptable threshold voltage VCthreshat the required load. In addition, simultaneously with the testing ofthe battery charger 58, a battery load control signal activates (i.e.,turns on) a switch such as a MOSFET in the battery load control 54 toapply a battery load 67 (i.e., battery load resistance), such as a powerresistor, to the battery 56 in step 212. The battery voltage Vbatt ismeasured at the battery voltage test node 70 using an analog to digitalconverter in step 214. Then, the measured voltage Vbatt is compared toan acceptable threshold voltage VBthresh for the battery 56 in step 216and the battery 56 is then determined to be acceptable or unacceptablein steps 218 and 220, respectively. This confirms that battery 56 isable to supply the acceptable threshold voltage VBthresh at the requiredload.

Finally, the processor 32 sends the isolation control signal to activate(turn on) the voltage pass-thru isolation circuit 53 thereby removingthe isolation circuit 53 causing application of both the charger load 65(i.e., charger load resistance) and the battery load 67 (i.e., batteryload resistance) to the charger circuit 50 of the battery charger 58 instep 224. This effectively doubles the load on the battery chargercircuit 50, exceeding its current limited capacity, and the outputvoltage of the battery charger 58 drops. The overloaded charger voltageVcharger2 is again measured in step 226. Then, in step 228, the chargervoltage Vcharger2 measured in step 226 is compared to the chargervoltage Vcharger with the isolation present. In steps 230 and 232, it isdetermined whether the charger voltage Vcharger2 has dropped from thecharger voltage Vcharger with the isolation present, Vcharger2<Vcharger.This drop in voltage confirms that the isolation circuit 53 is workingto: (a) isolate the battery charger 58 from the battery 56; and (b)allow the charging voltage Vcharger to be applied to the battery 56 tocharge it.

In this way, the operation of the battery charger 58, the battery 56,and the isolation circuit 53 are validated.

Finally, in step 234, the processor 32 sends the charger load controlsignal deactivating (turns off) the charger load control 52 to removethe charger load 65. And, in step 236, the processor 32 sends thebattery control signal deactivating (turns off) the battery load control54 to remove the battery load 67.

Event Status Notify

FIG. 5 depicts yet another significant aspect of the present invention,namely the ability of the control panel 12 to send up to 2,048 alarmevents to up to 8 annunciators 14 without overloading the RF link.Wireless fire alarm systems have limited bandwidth available for“panel-to-device” out of band messaging without adversely affecting theinbound data link which is required to meet the 10 second rule.Annunciators 14 need to send the alarm state of the overall system andmust receive the first alarm indication within that same 10 seconds. Inorder to send the alarm information to multiple annunciators 14 (up to8) without delaying alarms going to the control panel 12, a method isrequired that limits the RF being used to send the alarm information.

The present invention addresses this limitation by sending events inblocks of 16 as illustrated in FIG. 5. In particular, the presentationinvention provides a method for avoiding RF link overload in an RFnetwork such that 2,048 possible devices can be enrolled and 2,048 alarmevents can be broadcasted to 8 annunciators simultaneously. It isfurther contemplated that the present invention may be expanded tohandle a greater number of alarm events in excess of 2,048 alarm eventsand more annunciators. In this method, events can be broadcasted inblocks of 16 thereby allowing the annunciators 14 to acknowledge eachblock, and additional events are transmitted in blocks of 16 as needed.This method reduces RF network traffic keeping the system dynamic andable to respond in real-time to new events/alarms.

In more detail, alarm events are received in step 300 by the controlpanel 12 and these events are added to message blocks MB-N in step 302.These message blocks MB-N store a range of different events. Forexample, the first 16 events are accumulated in a first message blockMB-1, and the subsequent groups of up to 16 events are accumulated insubsequent blocks MB-2, MB-N. Alarm events are accumulated over somefinite time, such as less than 10 seconds by the control panel 12.

When the message blocks are full or the time limit over which alarmevents are accumulated expires, then the control panel 12 broadcasts themessage blocks MB-N to all annunciators 14 in step 304. Only one messageis sent for all annunciators 14. Each annunciator replies with a Layer 3Event Notify Acknowledgement. In step 306, it is determined whether allof the annunciators 14 have replied with the acknowledgement. In thesituation where not all of the acknowledgements have been received, thenthe message block MB-N is rebroadcast in step 304.

Finally, the control panel 12 increments to a subsequent message blockin step 308, and if that message block exists as determined in step 310,then the next message block is sent in step 304. Otherwise, in step 312,the control panel 12 waits for the next alarm events and beginsaccumulating those events into the next message block.

In order to keep the annunciators 14 synchronized with the control panel12, the control panel 12 broadcasts Event Status Notify messages whensystem alarm or trouble conditions change. The message blocks can bebroadcasted within the Event Status Notify messages. Each Event StatusNotify message contains the current Alarm LED status, Trouble LEDstatus, Supervisory LED status, Signal Silence LED status, and/or numberof devices listed in alarm state. Annunciators 14 use this informationto update their LEDs and integrated display device and user interfaces120.

Event Status Notify messages also contain the device table index of anydevice that is in alarm state. Due to system limitations, only 16indexes (events) can be sent per message. Thus, the list of systemevents is segmented into groups of 16, ordered by time of occurrence,and sent in sequential Event Status Notify messages. Each Event StatusNotify message contains information so the annunciator 14 knows whichsegment is contained in the message and how many events are in themessage.

Programming Checksum Method

A further significant aspect of the present invention relates to amethod for confirming that annunciators 14 in the system 10 have thesame programming information as the control panel 12 in order to displaythe proper device information and location. FIG. 6 provides a flowchartdepiction of a programming checksum method that enables suchconfirmation. In general, whenever a new device is added to the system10, the programming checksum is changed. Annunciators 14 are maintainedin a synchronized state with the control panel 12 by receivingbroadcasts from the control panel 12 of a programming checksum notifymessage when the device programming information has been changed. Thisprogramming checksum notify message can include an updated checksum andupdated system time. In general, the broadcasted checksum is compared ineach annunciator 14, and if it does not match, an error message is sentto the control panel 12 to indicate that the annunciator 14 has not beenprogrammed with the new devices. The broadcasted system time is used tosynchronize the annunciator clocks of the annunciators 14 to the controlpanel 12.

In more detail, FIG. 6 illustrates a control panel flow chart 401 and anannunciator flow chart 405. The control panel 12, in step 400,determines whether a change has been made to the device database. Thenin step 402, the control panel 12 calculates a new checksum for the datain its device database. In step 404, a broadcast programming checksumnotify message is sent to all of the annunciators 14. The programmingchecksum notify message includes a system programming checksum thatdescribes the changed programming information for example. Inparticular, this message contains the checksum calculated based on thedata of the device database. The programming checksum notify can bebroadcasted to multiple annunciators 14 in the form of one message.

The annunciators 14, in step 406, each receive the programming checksumnotify message. This programming checksum notify message contains achecksum of the programming information. In addition to the checksum ofthe programming information, the programming checksum notify messagealso contains the current clock settings for the control panel 12 sothat the integrated display and user interfaces 120 of the annunciator14 are synchronized with the control panel 12. In step 408, theannunciator 14 updates its system programming checksum value with thelatest value received from the originating control panel 12. Inparticular, the annunciator can update local time with system time inorder to synchronize an annunciator clock with a control panel clock. Inone example, the annunciator 14 displays device information and locationinformation matching the control panel 12 and is verified via matchingchecksums. Then, in step 410, the annunciator 14 compares the systemprogramming checksum against the local programming checksum stored inmemory from the device list.

In step 412, the checksum from the control panel 12 is compared to thelocal checksum calculated by the annunciator 14. If there is a match,then an acknowledgment message (e.g., Layer 3 programming event notifyacknowledgement) is sent in step 414 to the control panel 12. Thecontrol panel 12 receives back the acknowledgment messages from theannunciators 14 in step 420. In step 422, the control panel 12increments a counter for each acknowledgment message received. If thecontrol panel 12 does not receive back any acknowledgment messages instep 420, the control panel 12 rebroadcasts the programming checksumnotify message in step 404. In step 424, the control panel 12 determinesif acknowledgement messages were received back from every annunciator 14in its subnet. If enough acknowledgment messages were received, thecontrol panel 12 periodically rebroadcasts the programming checksumnotify message in step 404 as a continuous checksum verification. If notenough acknowledgment messages were received, the control panel 12 waitsfor more acknowledgment messages in step 426.

On the other hand, if the checksums do not match, the annunciator 14displays a “Checksum Bad” (error message) in step 416 and sends theerror message in its inbound status message in step 418. This errormessage can include information on the programming mismatch. The methodis summarized as follows: (a) control panel 12 sends a programmingchecksum notify whenever the programming information changes; (b) only 1message is sent for all annunciators 14; and (c) each annunciator 14replies with a Layer 3 programming event notify acknowledgement.

Device Type Processing

The present invention further addresses limitations in the art relatingto the adding of new devices to the system 10, which currently requiresthe repeaters and receivers in the network to be modified in order toknow how to process incoming device status messages. More particularly,devices sending status messages into the system 10 can have differenttypes of status information in their status messages. All statusmessages are typically 16-bits of information but the meaning of thosebits changes based on the type of device sending status messages.Current systems have been known to define 2 types of statuses, namely,an 8-bit status in which the other 8-bits of available space are usedfor system flags, and a full 16-bit status in which every bit is usedfor status. When a device such as a smoke detector sends statusmessages, it uses the 8-bit status. On the other hand, when a devicesuch as an annunciator sends status messages, it uses a 16-bit status.Repeaters within a system need to know how to decode a statusmessage—whether it is 8-bit or 16-bit, and thus the repeaters had thisinformation hard coded based on specific device identification bytes(e.g. 06 or 0A is 16-bit, everything else is 8-bit) in prior artsystems.

The present invention addresses this limitation by encoding into thedevice ID data of the device itself, rather than requiring modificationof the repeater and/or receiver for each new device. Further, thepresent invention provides a method which adds protocol to automaticallyprocess messages from new devices of an existing network without havingto hardcode repeaters 16 to support these new devices. New devices needonly be added to the control panel software as the repeater network canautomatically handle the different types of messages from devices basedon a serial number prefix which groups types of devices and theircorresponding message formats automatically.

In accordance with this significant aspect of the present invention, asillustrated in FIG. 7A, in step 450, the new devices are encoded withtheir respective device ID data. The device ID data, for example, is aserial number having a prefix byte that correlates with a device typedecoding rule for messaging. Then, when messages are received by arepeater 16 or a control panel 12, the device decoding rule isdetermined from decoding the first byte (prefix byte) of the device IDdata in step 452. Then, the message is decoded based on the determineddevice type decoding rule in step 454. Steps 450-454 may be implementedby a processor.

As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the prefix byte of the device's 4-byte serialnumber 80 is divided into ranges such that simply knowing the prefixbyte allows the system to know how to properly decode the statusmessage. As illustrated below, prefix bytes with values 1-11 are treatedas legacy devices R1 and use the existing hard coded rules; prefix byteswith values 12-95 are decoded as 8-bit status devices R2; prefix byteswith values 96-175 are decoded as 16-bit status devices R3; and prefixbytes with values 176-254 are decoded as 32-bit status devices R4 forfuture expandability. Also, the prefix bytes can be encoded withinformation on whether a device is a notification device (e.g., sounderdevice) and/or whether the device needs to respond to the tandem deviceor tandem NG device capabilities.

Prefix Byte Values Decode Rule  1-11 Decode using existing hard codedrules 12-95 Decode as 8-bit status  96-175 Decode as 16-bit status176-254 Decode as 32-bit status

Minimum RSSI Level for Qualifying an RF Network Link

In order to create a reliable RF network, system devices must bephysically placed such that RF signals received and sent between devicesare at an acceptable/reliable strength such as between master devices(e.g., master repeaters 16) and slave devices 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76,78, 80, 82. Typically, the installation location is based on thegeometry of an installation site and the areas that need coverage (e.g.,detection, notification, etc.). In order to ensure that a chosenlocation is the optimal RF location for installation of these devices,an RF Survey is performed to “test” the signal strength at each proposedinstallation location. When the system 10 is placed in enrollment modeand new slave devices 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 are powered up,the new slave devices 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 look for amaster repeater 16 to join, creating new RF links. Slave devices 14, 18,19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 that fall off the RF network automaticallyattempt to rejoin if the slave devices 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80,82 receive no response from their master repeater 16 and also look tolink to another master repeater 16.

To perform a Survey process, a survey signal is triggered on the slavedevice 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 in step 600 as illustrated inFIG. 8. In one embodiment, this survey signal is transmitted at reducedpower to further enhance the process of creating a “good” RF networklink. For example, the survey signal could be half the normaltransmitting power to compensate for variations in local conditions andbuilding construction (e.g., walls, floors, metal lath, panels, etc.).

When this survey signal is received by a master repeater 16, the masterrepeater 16 sends an acknowledgement (ACK) back to the initiating slavedevice 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 in step 602. Both the send andreceive signals are indicated audibly and visually either at the masterrepeater 16 or at the slave device 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 instep 604. These audible or visual feedback signals indicate to theoperator or installer that the survey signal was sent and an ACKresponse was sent back.

In one embodiment, a digital value is further displayed to indicate thesignal strength. The time delay between sending and receiving audible orvisual feedback signals (e.g., beeps and or visual flashes) indicates asuccessful survey transaction, or the failure of the survey if no ACKresponse with audible/visual feedback is made within the allowedresponse time. This is both a qualitative method (there is or is not anaudible/visual feedback response) and also a subjective decision (e.g.,based on the time between beeps or flashes of the audible/visualfeedback). However, even with a displayed signal value (e.g., digitalASCII value), bar graph indicator, or an analog needle value, choosing areliable location can be arbitrarily made by the operator, ignoringsystem recommendations.

Due to the sensitivity of RF transceivers (e.g., master transceivers 116or slave transceivers 115), extremely poor RF signals as low as −115dBm, which is less than 0.008 picoWatts (0.008×10-12 Watts), can bereceived and properly processed thus giving the impression of anacceptable link. However, this low RF signal strength is considered notreliable and subject to an RF fade margin which can reduce the signalstrength below the detectable margin of the RF transceivers.

This survey process is a manual process that attempts to select theoptimal location for the best possible RF network link without having toplace master repeaters 16 and slave devices 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78,80, 82 too close to each other in order to be cost effective. In thecase of new devices being enrolled, the optimal solution is for newdevices to join devices that have the best RF signal versus any RFsignal—as the new devices could join a device via RF links with lowstrength and keep falling off and rejoining the network via the weak RFlinks.

To avoid these potential pitfalls, the present invention provides amethod for qualifying that a wireless signal meets a specified minimumacceptable level. A received signal strength indicator (RSSI) ismeasured at the master device (e.g., master repeater 16) and alsopreferably at the slave device 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 instep 606. The measured RSSI is compared against a pre-determined minimumRSSI level in step 608. The minimum RSSI level is pre-determined fromtesting for reliable RF links. Based on this comparison, the link iseither determined to be acceptable in step 610 or unacceptable in step612. Steps 600—612 may be performed by a processor.

Using this minimum RSSI level as a benchmark, any master device (e.g.,master repeater 16) receiving a survey or enrollment request (which maystill be transmitted at reduced power) can measure a signal and if itdoes not meet the pre-determined minimum RSSI level, the master devicedoes not send an ACK response. If it does meet the pre-determinedminimum RSSI level (i.e., measured RSSI is acceptable), the masterdevice sends an ACK response to the new device that sent the survey orenrollment request. Thus, a user performing a survey can choose alocation for installing a device based on whether the signal isacceptable with respect to the minimum RSSI. In one example where a newdevice has to find a master to join, the new device listens for masterbeacons to join and measures their signal strength using this process tojoin only beacons that have qualified RF links meeting the specifiedminimum RSSI level. In another example, a slave device 14, 18, 19, 72,74, 76, 78, 80, 82 can optionally send an enrollment Join request to aselected master repeater 16. In this example, the master repeater 16 canmeasure the signal strength of the RF link with the slave device 14, 18,19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 and determine if the signal strength meetsthe acceptable level—minimum RSSI level. If the signal strength is belowthe minimum RSSI, the master repeater 16 does not send an ACK back thuspreventing the slave 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 from joining themaster repeater 16. The slave 14, 18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 canthen listen for and choose another qualified master repeater 16 to join.In another example, it is possible to automatically send a predeterminednumber of survey pulses and then average the RSSI of all these surveypulses to better qualify and smooth out the measured RSSI level. Theabove described minimum RSSI process can be performed on processors ofeither master devices such as master repeaters 16 or slave devices 14,18, 19, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described withreferences to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the scope of the inventionencompassed by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A notification system, comprising: a controlpanel that generates wireless radio frequency alarm signals; a masternotification device for generating an alarm notification in response tothe alarm signals from the control panel and generating at least onesynchronization signal; and a slave notification device for receivingthe synchronization signal via a wire and generating an alarmnotification in response to the alarm signals from the control panel andthe synchronization signal.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thenotification devices validate the wired connection between the devicesusing the synchronization signal.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein themaster notification device generates the synchronization signal based ona synchronization signal received via a wired connection or a wirelesslink.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the synchronization signal isused as a drive signal to an alarm notification component.
 5. The systemof claim 1, wherein the slave notification device is a horn or a strobe.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the master notification device forms alocal synchronized loop with multiple synchronized slave notificationdevices.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the slave notification devicecomprises a sync-input and a one or more sync-outputs and the masternotification device comprises a sync-output connected to the sync-inputof the slave notification device.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein themaster notification device includes an RF module for receiving the alarmsignals from the control panel.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein thealarm signals are received via a slave transceiver.
 10. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the master notification device generates thesynchronization signal based on a synchronization signal received via awired connection at a sync-input or a wireless link via the RF module.11. The system of claim 1, further comprising multiple daisy-chainedslave notification devices.
 12. A notification method, comprising: acontrol panel generating wireless radio frequency alarm signals; one ormore master notification devices generating alarm notifications inresponse to the alarm signals from the control panel and generatingsynchronization signals; and slave notification devices receiving thesynchronization signals via wired connections and generating alarmnotifications in response to the alarm signals from the control paneland the synchronization signals.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising the notification devices validating the wired connectionsbetween the devices using the synchronization signals.
 14. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising the master notification devices generatingthe synchronization signals based on a synchronization signal receivedvia a wired connection or a wireless link.
 15. The method of claim 12,wherein the slave notification device is a horn or a strobe.
 16. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising the master notification devicesforming local synchronized loops, each with multiple synchronized slavenotification devices.
 17. The method of claim 12, further comprising themaster notification devices receiving the alarm signals via wirelesslinks from the control panel.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thealarm signals are received via a slave transceiver.
 19. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising the master notification devices generatingthe synchronization signals based on synchronization signals receivedvia a wired connection at a sync-input or a wireless link via the RFmodule.
 20. The method of claim 12, further comprising multipledaisy-chained slave notification devices.